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Bringing together the incredible landscapes of Guyenne, Gascony and Languedoc, the Midi-Pyrénées is one of the most beautiful and historic areas of France, unspoilt by mass tourism and commercialism .

The ski resorts are very popular in both winter and summer but still retain their rugged wildness.

The Midi - as it’s nicknamed - has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday. Beautiful landscapes, crystal clear rivers, historical villages and fortified towns and a vast choice of regional cuisine using local farmed products.

With its cave paintings, fortified towns and pilgrimage routes it is a fascinating masterpiece, a true piece of history For those who like surroundings which in turn stimulate, entrance and catch the imagination, the Midi weaves a spell. The past and old peasant way of life - despite the exodus of the young to the towns - feels only to be following half a step behind, and casting its shadow wherever you find yourself in the

Capital of the Tarn department and home to the magnificent Cathedrale de Ste-Cecile, which was built after the crusade in 1265. Toulouse Lautrec was born here and the Musee Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec holds the most complete permanent collection of his works. Market Day is Saturday

Auch is a very ancient town. The name of Auch comes from the Aquitanian tribe that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest in the 50s BC. The name of this tribe, as recorded by the Romans, was Ausci (pronounced [awski] in Latin), singular Auscus.

The Romans renamed the town Augusta Auscorum (or Augusta Ausciorum), which means "Augusta of the Ausci". Eventually, Augusta was dropped, and the name evolved into modern Gascon Aush, and modern French Auch. Inhabitants of Auch are known in French as Auscitains.

During Roman times, Auch was one of the twelve civitates of the province of Novempopulana (Gascony). In 409, when Eauze, the capital of Novempopulana, was ruined by the Vandals, Auch replaced it as the capital of Gascony. It became the seat of a Catholic archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Auch, covering the whole of Gascony, which lasted until the French Revolution, and whose archbishops claimed the title of Primate of Aquitaine.

Auch is known for its Renaissance Cathédrale Sainte-Marie with its magnificent organ, carved stalls and rose stained-glass windows, La Tour d'Armagnac - a 14th century prison, as well as a statue of d'Artagnan who was based on the real life person, Charles de Batz, Comte d'Artagnan born nearby in the château de Castelmore, and written about by Alexandre Dumas.

The Gers River flows through the town.

In the contrasting landscapes of the Aveyron, medieval villages cling to cliffs and nestle in valleys steeped in legend. Explore caves, trout-filled brooks, or miles of shaded lanes meandering through the friendly villages of the Causse de Quercy.

Sports enthusiasts can canoe, cycle, ride, climb, pothole, or hang-glide, while art and history enthusiasts can explore the oldest town hall in France in Saint Antonin Noble Val, the castle setting for director Robert Enrico's film, "Le Vieux Fusil".

Bordering the former provinces of Quercy and Albigeois, Bruniquel overlooks the confluence of the Aveyron and Vère rivers.Well-preserved 13th, 14th, and 16th century houses cascade along the southern slope of a cliff, 80 meters (262 feet) above the water.

Classified as an historic monument in 1840, the Château de Bruniquel (12th, 13th, and 17th century) was constructed above a Roman castrum atop the cliff. Belonging first to the Counts of Toulouse, the castle was divided between two branches of the Comminges family two centuries later. This dual ownership explains the distinction made today between the Château Jeune (Young Castle) and the Château Vieux (Old Castle).

The name of the town comes from Latin castrum, and means "fortified place". Castres grew up round the Benedictine abbey of Saint Benoît, which is believed to have been founded in AD 647, possibly on the site of an old Roman fort (castrum).

Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain because its abbey-church, built in the 9th century, was keeping the relics of Saint Vincent, the renowned martyr of Spain. It was a place of some importance as early as the 12th century, and ranked as the second town of the Albigeois behind Albi.

Despite the decline of its abbey, which in 1074 came under the authority of Saint Victor abbey in Marseille, Castres was granted a liberal charter in the 12th century by the famous Trencavel family, viscounts of Albi. Resulting from the charter, Castres was ruled by a college of consuls.

During the Albigensian Crusade it surrendered of its own accord to Simon de Montfort, and thus entered into the kingdom of France in 1229.

The name of the town comes from Latin castrum, and means "fortified place". Castres grew up round the Benedictine abbey of Saint Benoît, which is believed to have been founded in AD 647, possibly on the site of an old Roman fort (castrum).

Castres possesses the renowned Goya Museum, created in 1840, which contains the largest collection of Spanish paintings in France: 28,000 visitors every year.

A Jaurès Museum was also opened in 1954 in the house where Jean Jaurès was born in 1859.

Sitting above the river Cerou, it rightly deserves its full name of Cordes sur Ciel. This beautiful medieval bastide town with incredible steep cobbled streets is one not to be missed.

Market Day Saturday am

GERS

In the heart of Gasgony, Gers is the land of Armagnac centred on the market town of Condom which raises a wry smile among British visitors. The Musée de l’Armagnac explains the difference between this fiery liquid and other brandies.

If you’re interested in taking some home it’s more fun to seek out the independent producers, advertising “vente directe” on the battered farm signs by the roadside around Auch, Condom and Eauze.

Condom’s main square has a smattering of restaurants and cafés around the edge but as dusk approaches, head for the tiny charming bastide of Larressingle to see the last rays of the sun cast a rosy glow on the walls.

MILAU

This major Roman site supplied most of the best pottery right across the Roman Empire for 150 years. It was not in the centre of the town but sat on the right bank of the River Tarn half a mile away.

Even today, with much major new development, the centre of the old Roman and medieval town on the opposite (left) bank of the Tarn remains poorly excavated, and the newly renovated Maison du Peuple, almost on the site of the old Roman forum, saw no archaeology before major mechanical excavation for recent new very deep foundations.

In the Middle Ages the town had one of the major mediaeval bridges across the River Tarn. With 17 spans, if it were still standing it would be a major monument; but one poorly maintained span fell in the 18th century, and so the bridge was mostly demolished. Just one span remains, with a mill, now an art gallery, as testament to this significant trading route from north to south across pre-Renaissance France.

In 1999, José Bové, a local Larzac anti-globalisation activist demolished the Millau McDonalds as it was being built, in symbolic protest of the spread of fast food, Americanization, and the spread of 'Genetically Modified Crops'. The McDonalds was later rebuilt, and Bové received a Presidential pardon from then French President Jacques Chirac.

In the 21st century, clear of traffic jams, the town is a tourist centre with one of the largest touring campsites in central France, and it is a major centre for sporting activity.

Milhau is today most famous for its viaduct spanning the Tarn. It is an enormous cable-stayed road-bridge designed by the structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster,

It is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft) — slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. The viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Montpellier. It was formally dedicated on 14 December 2004, inaugurated the day after and opened to traffic two days later.

Other places to visit include

The glove museum

The Jardin botanique des Causses, a botanical garden

Micropolis; the city of insects

The nearby underground caves for Roquefort cheese production

Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Espinasse. This church allegedly once possessed a part of the Crown of Thorns, making it an important pilgrimage centre in the Middle Ages. The church was destroyed in 1582 but rebuilt in the 17th century. The frescoes from 1939 are by Jean Bernard, the stained-glass windows from 1984 by Claude Baillon.

The Passage du Pozous is a 13th century fortified gateway

The Belfry, a 12th century square tower topped by an octagonal 17th century tower on the place Emma Calvé

Millau is also the main centre in France for paragliding

MOISSAC

Moissac was a popular stopping place on the pilgrim's route to Santiago de Compostela. Founded in the 7th century, partly destroyed by the Moorish invasion, restored at the time of Charlemagne, and, again, destroyed by the Normans.

The St.-Pierre Abbey Church reached its architectural zenith in association with the mother house of Cluny in 1047-1048. Today, it consists of a bell tower, with porch and doorway, and a unique nave, with Romanesque stone below and Gothic brick above. Its carved tympanum and cloisters, with 116 pillars, make Moissac a mecca of Romanesque Art.

The cloisters are the oldest and biggest (31metres x 7metres, 87 feet x 76 feet) in France, and, because of their symmetry and richness in carving, considered to be the most beautiful. The portal, depicting "Christ in His Glory" surrounded by symbols of the four Apostles, is a masterpiece of Christian Sacred Art that greatly influenced the development of Romanesque and Gothic Art.

The town itself changed dramatically after the 1930 flood when over 600 buildings were destroyed.

Market Days Saturday & Sunday am - farmers market

MONTAUBAN

The Count of Toulouse built Montauban the capital of the Tarn & Garonne Department, a bastide town on the banks of the Tarn, in 1144. Extremely well preserved, the town offers pedestrians a visual history of French architectural styles set amid a living vibrant community:

Eglise Saint-Jacques with Toulousian styled steeple (mid-13th Century)

Pont Vieux bridge spanning seven pointed arches (14th Century), at the eastern end of the bridge you will find the Bishop's Palace (17th Century) that houses the prestigious Ingrés Museum and exhibits the works of Ingrés, Bourdelle and Desnoyers.

Place Nationale the brick market square with double vaulted galleries (17-18th Centuries).

Cathedrale Notre-Dame (late 17th-early 18th centuries) built on the orders of Louis XIV, is in stark contrast to the rest of the towns red brick construction.

Market Days Wednesday/Saturday am - Marche au gras, Place Nationale Saturday am - farmers & flea Marche - Place Prax-Paris

MONTPEZAT-DE-QUERCY

Set among orchards in the foot hills of the Quercy, the fortified village of Montpezat-de-Quercy retain sits medieval character. Renaissance houses, half-timbered houses, and medieval cob-walled houses complement the town's covered market place.

The Eglise Saint-Martin (1337), in the Languedoc style, features side chapels separated by the interior buttresses of a single nave. The church also houses superb Flemish tapestries from the late 16th century, the marble statue, Virgin with Doves, from the 14th century, and several English alabasters.

The Faillal Leisure Park, a residential and entertainment centre, is situated just outside the town.

SAINT ANTONIN NOBLE VAL

This town's spectacular position earned it the title "Nobilis Vallis," or Noble Valley. Beneath the towering white cliffs of Anglars Rock, Saint-Antonin lies between the Aveyron and Bonnette Rivers.

The townhall, built in 1125, is the oldest in France; now a museum, it displays a remarkable collection of local prehistoric artifacts. Periods of war and prosperity have left their mark on the village making it a living museum of medieval civil architecture unique in France.

Market Day is Sunday am

If you are looking for a property to rent,or someone to manage an existing one, in the South West of France , why not talk to us...Call or email Richard or Elaine Woollam......We can help you.

E-Mail:        info@midipyrenees.me
Tel:              00 33 (0) 5 63 30 84 15
Mobile:        00 33 (0) 6 23 84 23 31

Midi Pyrenees Owners Club
Siret No: 451 872 386 00011
Foun De Pio, Route de Saleth
Saint Antonin Noble Val 82140

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